Southwest Educational Development Corporation (SEDL)

The purpose of this project is to explore features of pre-service training programs that are associated with improvements in teacher and student outcomes in mathematics. Previous research has shown that differences in teacher pre-service preparation are related to differences in teacher effectiveness. Little is known, however, about which features of pre-service programs are most effective in producing successful teachers. The current project will examine how and to what extent teacher prepa...

Given the importance of early mathematics instruction and curricula for preventing mathematics difficulties in later grades, it is necessary to identify effective mathematics curricula and instruction to ensure that children become proficient in early mathematics content and procedures. One widely used elementary mathematics curriculum, Everyday Mathematics, was reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse and is reported to have "potentially positive effects" on students' mathematics achievemen...

Effective early reading instruction is critical for preventing later reading difficulties. With 67% of 4th grade students failing to achieve proficiency in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2007, the need to implement effective early reading programs is greatly apparent. The Open Court Reading (OCR) program published by SRA/McGraw-Hill and widely used for almost 40 years is a phonics-based core-reading program for students in kindergarten to 6th grade that incorpo...